Ninja, Bodyguard, Friend?
by Squigglyspaghetti
Summary: Blaze and Echo. Ninja and Princess. Servant and Master. When Echo's life is threatened, the two flee from the palace with Echo vowing to come back one day and reconquer the kingdom from her father.


**Okey Dokey! Hey guys! This is Atalanta123 posting OUR VERY FIRST CHAPTER! **

**yay**

**This story had a rather...interesting origin. One word - Halloween. Yep. I dressed up in a black and red dress and my nickname was 'Echo' while Greentigerr dressed up as a ninja and was nicknamed 'Blaze'. So these characters were created. Please keep in mind that these character have practically NOTHING IN COMMON WITH US. (yes, Greentigerr isn't really a ninja and I'm not as evil as Echo. I strongly dislike blood on my floor, not that I've ever had blood on my floor)**

**Future chapters WILL have bloody scenes in them, so beware! **

**This story is written in first-person point of views. The person speaking will be bolded before each section. And yes, this is a fictional story, SO NOTHING IN IT IS ACTUALLY REAL. If you're confused about this story, visit our profile page for more info (i'll put that up later sometime in the near future). **

**Enjoy! And don't forget to review afterwards!**

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**Blaze**

"Blaze," the master called, speaking no louder than normal from his room down the hall. He knew I would hear in the perfectly silent halls of the complex. I rose, leaving my swords in my room, and paced cautiously down the hallway. You never knew when your alertness would be tested.

I stopped just inside the door of the large, wood-paneled room at the end of the hall to bow to the master. Waiting silently for his instructions, I glanced surreptitiously around the room, alert for an ambush. He finally spoke up.

"You've been reassigned. Princess Echo's latest bodyguard has … met an unfortunate end and you have been chosen to replace him."

I nodded once, feeling a slight tingle of uneasiness gathering in the pit of my stomach. The Emperor's daughter, Echo, had a reputation for somehow 'using up' several ninjas each month. There were rumors that she killed them for even the smallest infractions. I swallowed once, ignoring the nerves. I didn't have a choice.

"You have until noon," he added, waving me out of the room. I nodded again and slipped quickly out the door. I had a half hour.

In half a minute, I had all of my belongings rolled into a thin blanket and slung across my shoulder like a sash. Guiltily, I rubbed the smooth square of fabric tucked into my sleeve. I wasn't supposed to own anything but my clothes, blanket, weapons, and tools. Never mind that most of the other ninjas had plenty of souvenirs hidden under their floorboards, it was cheating. Glancing around the spartan, unremarkable room one last time, I set off for another just like it.

The sun was glaring brightly down from almost directly overhead, but the shadows still cast by the ornate roof of the main palace provided enough cover for me. Would I be able to do this tomorrow? Bodyguards were always by their masters' sides, not out sneaking around. How did any ninja stand it?

I swung over the edge of the roof and clung underneath the eaves for a moment before wiggling through a crack and dropping silently to the floor of my new room. Nothing stood out about the room. I sighed, quickly checking the bare room for hiding places, escape routes, and general appearance. It passed with flying colors, revealing five separate ways to Echo's room, not counting the door, twelve easy places to duck into unnoticed, seven escape routes, again not counting doors, and four dark, forest green walls. I unrolled my blanket and sat cross-legged in the middle of the room. Fifteen minutes to go.

I sat stock-still on the rafter, waiting for someone to notice me. The room was full of my new command of ninjas. You'd think, of 15 supposedly elite ninjas, at least one would notice someone sitting in plain sight. Not to mention that they were expecting me. Most were glancing around, clearly wondering where I was, two minutes after I was supposed to arrive. Two minutes too late, one ninja noticed me and made a small gesture. Within a half second, they were all watching me attentively. I landed in the center of the room, where they quickly formed a rough circle around me. Unsatisfied with their showing, I let the annoyance flicker in my eyes as I glared at each one. A few, probably the newest additions, stiffened slightly as my gaze swept over them.

After a minute of silence, I slowly turned to face the one ninja who had spotted me first.

"I'm Blaze. You need more practice." With that, I slipped out the door and into the hallway, and waited just outside the door. Not the oldest trick in the book, but pretty darn close. As soon as they thought I was gone, the room erupted in hushed whispers. It seemed I'd made a good impression on them, but the same could not be said for the other way around.

I had even more time after that was out of the way. Did they expect me to make a speech or something? I had no idea what I was supposed to do with twenty minutes of getting acquainted with the ninjas. That was more than one minute per person. Far too much. When it at last came time for the ceremony, I again lay in the rafters, watching the occupants of the room below. I decided against a normal entry consisting of appearing silently in the corner and watching until someone noticed me, and decided to drop directly into my spot from the ceiling. The high ceiling and rafters made this almost too easy. One of Echo's attendants jumped a full foot into the air as I landed. I turned to look at her, staring blankly until she shuddered and turned back to fix Echo's hair. The princess looked utterly bored, shooing her servants away and eyeing me, clearly unimpressed as well. The other ninja required for the ritual stood in the corner, glaring at me. I would have bet anything that he thought he belonged in my place.

At last the emperor entered the room, grandly preceded by two samurai guards and shadowed closely by two ninjas. He too seemed bored by the proceedings. Echo sure must have gone through bodyguards fast. I bowed low, along with everyone else in the room. His two ninja guards were professionally expressionless but seemed almost smug. I didn't like the way they were looking at me, as if I were committing suicide. Maybe I was.

The Emperor groaned tiredly. "Alright, I came all the way here for this, let's get it over with. Echo, please make this one last a little longer. I have better things to do than constantly get you new ninjas."

Echo matched her father's disenchanted expression and tone perfectly. Eyeing me like a piece of cloth that she was deciding whether to purchase, she gave an annoyed sigh. "Seriously, Dad? Why can't I get a female ninja? You better have found the best ninja in the entire kingdom, or he's not even going to last two days."

"Echo, sweetie, female ninjas are rare. I can only give you the ninjas who are approved by their master. I don't think he wants to waste his best ninjas on you if all you do is order them executed." Echo's father crossed his arms.

"Well, he better get me some better ninjas soon, because I'm tired of weeding out the worthless ones for him. This is the last one. If he isn't the very best," Echo snapped before gesturing dismissively with one hand towards me, "I'm going down to the ninjas' complex to have a word with the master after this."

Now, I'm used to people mistaking me for a guy. But for Echo to complain about it was almost funny. Almost.

The Emperor waved one hand at me, just as Echo had. It was easy to see where she'd gotten her attitude. "Proceed," he droned, sounding as if he was about to doze off.

I stepped forward, bowing low to Echo and appreciating the fact that few ceremonies involved ninjas speaking. I took my position next to her, then stared straight ahead, bored. Only an apprentice would stare nervously at the ninja in the corner. I repositioned myself slightly as a second ninja lunged from the ceiling on the other side of the room. Before he landed, I hit a nerve in his neck that would knock him out temporarily. Outside of tradition, the second ninja attacked a moment later. I easily dodged around Echo's chair and kicked him twice. He thudded against the wall and slipped down, also unconscious. That might have been cutting it a little close to the no-killing rule in ceremonies, but they'd both wake up. Eventually.

The Emperor raised his eyebrows as he glanced at the two bodies, but stepped forward to hand me a thin piece of fabric, half red and half black, the colors of the Night Princesses. I was officially Echo's bodyguard.

Then the Emperor nodded once, signifying the end of the ceremony. With the swishing of shimmering robes, he swept out of the room, surrounded by his guards. Two more ninjas appeared to carry my challengers out of the room. Finally, they were followed by Echo's attendants. When they had shut the door behind them, Echo sat staring at me appraisingly. I stood perfectly still, staring back at her. If a staring contest was what she wanted, then a staring contest was what she would get. Her glare turned hostile. I looked down, hoping I hadn't displeased her. Things weren't looking up for me. Every ninja hopes to be assigned to a good master, who at least won't torture us or assign us meaningless tasks. I returned to my place beside Echo's chair, relaxing slightly when I was out of her peripheral vision.

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**Echo**

The hairstylist finally left the room, along with Father. I sighed, pulling the annoying pins out of my hair. I didn't like the way they pinched and pulled, and the hairstylist seemed to never tire of inventing more and more inconvenient ways to twist and pile and decorate my hair with ribbons and flowers. Pulling my skirt up over the armrest, I reclined sideways in the chair, hanging my feet over one side and my head upside-down over the other. My hair brushed against the floor. My new ninja looked at me upside down for a moment before doing a handstand in front of me. I giggled, but it felt weird with the way I was sitting. Maybe he wouldn't be quite as bad as the last ones.

I raised my hand and snapped my fingers, half hoping he would lose his balance and fall. No such luck. He only cocked his head as if asking what I wanted.

"You." I reached out with one hand to poke him. Maybe that would make him fall. He only took one step away from me so he was just out of my reach. One handstand step, that is. "What's your name?" I asked, curious.

"Blaze," he answered. His voice was clear and he spoke carefully but quietly. Strangely, the sound of his voice didn't seem to stick in my head, only the name.

"Blaze. Alright. Entertain me." He looked confused for a second before nodding again and flipping to stand upright. I sat up too quickly, making my head spin. He gave me a curious look, clearly asking how I wanted to be entertained.

"Show me your swords," I requested. Each master ninja had swords designed specifically to their preference. I'd seen quite a few different ninjas' swords. Each was different, but they were always guaranteed to be pretty awesome.

Blaze disappeared abruptly, only to reappear a moment later in front of me, with a second, shorter, sword hanging from his belt as well as the longer one strapped across his back. He drew both swords at once, then crossed his arms for a moment then held them out, with the swords resting on his palms and forearms. The swords gleamed razor-sharp in a beam of light from the high window. They were slightly curved and polished to a mirror shine. The hilts were neatly wrapped in black material, crisscrossed up and down for grip.

Hesitantly, I touched the handle of the shorter sword. I awkwardly lifted it from his arms, careful not to slice his hand in the process. I'd practiced with daggers and held a few other swords, but Blaze's slightly concerned expression showed how obvious it was that holding a sword was more of a risk than a defense for me. Unaccustomed to the weight, I put my other hand on what I thought was the dull side of the blade to steady it. I was wrong. I dropped the handle, accidentally letting the sword slip through my hand. Somehow Blaze already had the other sword back in its scabbard on his back and caught the sword I had been holding by the handle before it hit the ground, but I was too busy staring at my hand in shock to notice much. Blood was dripping from a deep slice all the way across my palm. I clenched my teeth and fought back tears as Blaze quickly pressed my other hand over the cut and again disappeared from the room. When he returned, he was carrying rags and a bowl of water. Tears rolled down my cheeks as he washed the wound as carefully as possible and bounded it with clean white cloth. In a matter of minutes, the bandage turned a sickening red.

* * *

**Blaze**

While Echo sat whimpering and nursing her hand, I cleaned the blood off my sword. My own master's blood on my sword, I reflected. If it was an omen, it sure wasn't good. I wasn't sure how Echo was going to punish me. Her own ignorance had caused the accident, but I didn't think she'd see it that way once she recovered enough to yell at me. I certainly could have prevented it by not letting her pick up my sword. But she had asked… what was I supposed to do? Tell her she couldn't handle it? The scene was so predictable. I'd done practically the same thing the first time I picked up a sword. Watching Echo now, I realized how pathetic I must have seemed back then. The little girl hiding in the corner, silently sobbing her eyes out over a little cut, panicking because of the blood… I'd never used a knife before then. Maybe she could learn too. If I survived another day after this.

Standing quickly, I carried the bloodstained rags out of the room. As I returned, Echo looked up. She jolted slightly, unaware that I had been gone, before a hard edge crept into her eyes. I looked down nervously as I walked up to her. I knelt down in front of where she sat, bowing my head and closing my eyes in a wordless apology and request for judgment. Echo ignored me, still crying as she stared at the blood soaking through the bandage on her hand. I waited patiently for her to come to her senses and punish me. After almost ten more minutes, her whimpering slowly subsided and gave way to muttering. I could make out a few words.

"So stupid... how could… what a failure." Echo sounded angry. I could only assume she was talking about me. I sat motionless for several more minutes. Finally she groaned. "How could I be so stupid? Of course the sword is sharp." She sighed, nudging me with her foot. "You probably think I'm the most pathetic princess ever, huh?"I slowly looked up, hesitantly meeting her eyes and shaking my head to answer her question. She didn't look angry anymore, just a little embarrassed.

I heard footsteps in the hall. I quickly moved to my place by her side and she hid her bandaged hand behind her back. A minute later, the Emperor stepped through the door. I bowed respectfully, though I knew Echo would have her chance to complain about me.

"Echo?" The emperor sounded concerned. "I heard you crying. Are you okay? Did Blaze hurt you?" He glared at me suspiciously.

To my surprise, Echo shook her head. "I'm fine, Father."

He still looked suspicious. "Are you sure? What are you hiding?" He gestured to Echo's hand.

"Nothing," she told him innocently, tucking it farther behind her back.

"Show me this 'nothing,' then," he insisted, crossing his arms. Echo reluctantly held out her bandaged hand. "What happened?" he pressed. "Are you sure Blaze didn't hurt you?"

Echo nodded earnestly. "I tripped and caught myself on the corner of the chair. But it's kind of sharp and I hurt my hand." She pointed to the front edge of the chair, where a few drops of her blood had fallen.

"Mm-hmm. I see." I could tell that the Emperor didn't quite believe her story. "And who bandaged your hand?"

Echo pointed to me. I nodded, agreeing.

"He's not too bad. At least he's lasted longer than that loser last week." She made a dismissive sound.

I tensed slightly at her words. So the rumors were true. One of her ninjas had lasted less than a half hour.

"Alright." Satisfied, the Emperor left the room again. As they departed, his guards shot me sympathetic looks. They knew Echo was lying.

When they had gone, I turned back to Echo, wondering why she'd defended me. She noticed the question in my eyes.

"What? It was my own stupid fault. Did you think I was going to punish you for that?"

I nodded and bowed my head to thank her.

One silent minute later, a messenger rushed through the door and bowed to her.

"Oh, come on. Can it wait? I don't want messengers and disruptions bouncing into my room every ten seconds!" Echo complained. The messenger shook his head vigorously.

"Princess, the Emperor requires your presence at a court banquet in an hour," the messenger blurted out, then quickly covered his mouth.

Echo glared poisonously at him. "I didn't give you permission to speak."

The messenger began to creep backwards, his eyes wide with dread. "I beg your forgiveness, Princess Echo," he stammered. I could see that he was mentally adding, 'Please don't kill me.'

"Blaze, bring him here," Echo hissed. I held the messenger's shaking hands behind his back and led him forward. Echo glared at him, seeming to grin as she considered various punishments. After a minute, Echo sat back. "I'll let you go this time," she granted. She turned to me. "Lead him out of the room. If you want to beat him up a little, I don't mind," she suggested.

When we reached the hallway, the messenger almost collapsed with relief. I held him up by the arm until he wasn't in danger of passing out. He eyed me warily. I knew exactly how he felt. Obviously much to his relief, I turned and reentered the room, letting him go.

"I was in a good mood," Echo explained. "We have a while until my torture chamber appointment." My eyes widened. "Not literally. I don't think we even have a torture chamber. I mean the banquet." I relaxed slightly. That wasn't something to joke about. And there really was a torture chamber in the nearby prison. "How about you show me your swords again, only you're the one who uses them? Show me some moves or something." She requested.

I nodded hesitantly, backing up before I took out my swords. Then I began one of the most advanced and impressive-looking forms I knew, slowing it down so Echo could see what I was doing. She watched enthusiastically, eyes bright as she watched me spin, flip, and slash at imaginary adversaries. When I finished, she began asking to see specific moves.

By the time her attendants returned to help her prepare for the banquet, I was beginning to tire of repeating moves that she thought looked fancy, at half speed. I slipped out of the room as she argued with two servants about whether she had to wear a fancier dress to the banquet, and headed for the kitchen to grab some food. I'd learned the hard way that starving as you stood in front of a table of food fancier than you could ever hope to eat was not pleasant at all.

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**Next chapter: the banquet! (and bloody scenes) **

**Please go easy on reviews. We both feed off of positive reviews. **


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